Reception fitting of a Homecoming Queen

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep welcomed warmly at Austin

October 1, 2008

By Brian McNair

WHITBY -- Priscilla Lopes-Schliep could be forgiven for being in Nebraska right now.

But, rather than being home with her husband Bronsen Schliep, whom she met while the two were sports stars at the University of Nebraska and married last November, Lopes-Schliep is still sharing her Olympic glory with those closer to her other home, in Whitby.

On Monday, she and her Olympic bronze medal were welcomed warmly by hundreds of students and staff at her alma mater, Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School.

Lopes-Schliep has certainly stayed busy since her dramatic third place finish in the 100-metre hurdles in Beijing, staying overseas for the rest of the international track season, dealing with media requests and entertaining new sponsorship opportunities.

Now that she finally has some time to relax and soak it all in, she wants to share her story with as many people as possible with the hopes of inspiring others.

After watching her Olympic race over again in the gymnasium, then speaking to the kids and signing autographs, it seems her message of perseverance and hard work was heard loud and clear.

"It actually makes me want to train harder because seeing her, you feel like you can accomplish anything," said Nicholas Henry, who won a bronze in the 400-metre hurdles at OFSAA this year. "After seeing her, I think I'm going to have to train harder because I really want to go to the 2012 Olympics."

"It's inspiring to see that you can actually get to (the Olympics)," added Michelle Theophille, a high jumper who won silver at OFSAA and who's garnering attention from U.S. colleges. "If you try your hardest you can accomplish so much."

Lopes-Schliep, whose pleasant demeanour and friendly smile belie the intense competitor seen on the track in Beijing, was happy to be back and thrilled with the reception she received.

"It was very, very sweet. I felt very honoured," she said. "I've been back on many occasions, but nowhere near the welcoming I got today. It's phenomenal. It's just good to see that people are interested. They do want to succeed and they do want to push and strive to be the best they can be."

Lopes-Schliep certainly pushed to get where she's at. Her Olympic medal came just over a year after she had surgery to remove a cyst from an ovary, a serious setback in her training regimen.

But, as she explained Monday, that was just another of the less obvious hurdles an athlete has to deal with.

"It kind of gave me the push and the drive to go harder this year because I knew what I had inside, I know what I'm capable of," she explained. "It's almost like I was cheated the year before."

Lopes-Schliep will spend the next couple of weeks relaxing and catching up with family here before returning to Nebraska and celebrating her first anniversary with Bronsen, who's studying dentistry there.

But, at 26, she's far from satisfied, and said the 2012 Olympics in London are very much on her mind.

"Gold over there, that's the plan," she said. "I always tell kids and myself, you have to reach for the stars, dream as big as you can, because it doesn't matter what happens as long as you give it your all. Wherever you land, it's a blessing."